Recycled glass is an important ingredient in glass manufacturing. A new partnership between a U.S. border city and one of O-I’s plants in northern Mexico shows how collaboration can keep this valuable recycled glass in the manufacturing stream.
The City of McAllen, which is located near the U.S.-Mexico border, is about a three-hour drive to our plant in Monterrey, Mexico. McAllen has a robust material recycling program, which includes glass recycling.
O-I and McAllen recently formed a partnership. The city sends the glass it collects to O-I’s Monterrey plant. McAllen says the partnership has brought more attention to glass recycling in the area, and residents are recycling more glass as a result.
Recycled glass is one of four main ingredients for making new glass packaging. By using recycled glass, there are fewer raw materials needed to create new glass bottles and jars. The manufacturing process also uses less energy and produces fewer emissions.
The glass collected in McAllen is processed and sent to our Monterrey, Mexico, plant to be made into new glass bottles and jars. This partnership helps O-I increase recycled content in our products, aligning with our sustainability goals. Learn more about the program in this video.